Brilliant Brighton's new gold Christmas lights come on in the city centre on Thursday 19 November. Its Festive Afternoon follows on 5 December, 2pm to 6pm.

Brighton city centre gets a brand new set of Christmas lights this year, in gold, and they come on on the afternoon of Thursday 19 November. They will stay up into early January, Brilliant Brighton, the business improvement district that pays for them, says.

The new scheme covers nine streets: East Street, Brighton Place, Market Street, Meeting House Lane, Bond Street, Gardner Street, Kensington Gardens, North Street and Western Road, with lights under the Clock Tower too (Brilliant Brighton). There is no switch-on ceremony; the lights simply come on, as they did last year.

Then on Saturday 5 December, 2pm to 6pm, the BID’s Festive Afternoon brings choirs and singers onto the same streets. It falls on Small Business Saturday, and it starts a window dressing trail with a £100 gift card for the winning shop and another for one person who votes.

Who pays for Brighton’s Christmas lights

Not the council. The lights are funded by the 517 city centre businesses that make up Brilliant Brighton, at a cost of about £100,000 a year, and the BID says those businesses have kept the lights going for the last decade. Costa Coffee is supporting this year’s scheme and the Festive Afternoon.

Shelley Welti, Marketing and Events Manager at Brilliant Brighton, said:

“We’re so excited to unveil our brand new Christmas lights this year. The beautiful gold scheme will bring a gorgeous glow to the city centre from Thursday 19th November, and it’s a real gift to Brighton from our 500+ businesses who each year contribute to light up the city centre at Christmas.”

Christmas lights strung across Market Street in The Lanes, Brighton, with crowds below and lit-up restaurant fronts
Christmas lights over Market Street in The Lanes. Photo: supplied by Brilliant Brighton

Where to see the lights

The BID groups the nine streets into five areas:

  • North Laine: Bond Street, Gardner Street and Kensington Gardens
  • The Lanes: Meeting House Lane, Market Street and Brighton Place
  • East Street
  • Western Road
  • North Street, including the Clock Tower

All five areas are in walking distance of each other, so a loop from Western Road along North Street, down into The Lanes, back up East Street and across to North Laine takes in the lot.

An illuminated North Laine sign over a street of shops, with strings of Christmas lights further down the roadMeeting House Lane in The Lanes, Brighton, with a decorated Christmas tree, jewellers' windows and lights strung overhead

2 photos, swipe or scroll. Photos: supplied by Brilliant Brighton

The pictures here are from Brilliant Brighton’s festive events in earlier years, so they show the old scheme, not the new gold one.

The Festive Afternoon on 5 December

From 2pm to 6pm on Saturday 5 December, performers will pop up around the Brilliant Brighton area, and helpers in costume will hand out festive goodies. The line-up announced so far:

Brilliant Brighton has not published a timetable or said which street each act will be on. It describes a mix of choirs, solo singers and a brass band “filling the streets with carols and festive favourites” (Brilliant Brighton).

Jessica Hallam singing into a microphone in Dukes Lane, Brighton, in a Santa hat, next to a shop windowThree members of the South Coast Trombone Choir in Santa hats playing trombones outside a shop window

2 photos, swipe or scroll. Photos: supplied by Brilliant Brighton

Ms Welti said:

“Our Festive Afternoon is the perfect opportunity to come into the city, enjoy the lights, listen to some brilliant local performers and explore all the fantastic festive window displays. Whether you’re shopping for those all-important gifts or catching up with friends over something delicious in one of our many pubs, restaurants, bars and cafés, there’s plenty of Christmas cheer to enjoy.”

Two helpers dressed as elves in red and green, holding Santa-style buckets, outside a shop window hung with tinselA singer with a microphone on a stand performing on Gardner Street beside a GBK restaurant, with Christmas lights overhead

2 photos, swipe or scroll. Photos: supplied by Brilliant Brighton

The window trail and the £100 prizes

Shops across the city centre will dress their windows for Christmas, and the public votes for a favourite. The trail opens on Saturday 5 December and runs until Sunday 3 January 2027.

There are two prizes, each a £100 Brilliant Brighton Gift Card: one to the business whose window gets the most votes, and one to a voter picked at random. The gift card can be spent at more than 60 businesses in the BID area (Brighton Gift Card). Brilliant Brighton has not yet said how to vote; that will come with the trail.

Two helpers dressed as elves standing in a North Laine street under strings of Christmas lights, with cafe tables behind
Festive helpers in North Laine under the Christmas lights. Photo: supplied by Brilliant Brighton

Richard Sherrington, Area Manager for Costa Coffee in Brighton, said:

“Christmas is a special time for communities, and we’re delighted to be supporting Brilliant Brighton’s Christmas lights and Festive Afternoon this year. It’s a fantastic opportunity for local people to come together, enjoy the festive atmosphere, and create lasting memories with family and friends.

“At Costa Coffee, we’re proud to be part of communities across Brighton, and supporting events like this is one way we can help bring people together during the festive season. We look forward to seeing the local community celebrate and make the most of everything the Festive Afternoon has to offer.”

Jessica Hallam singing at a microphone stand in Dukes Lane at night, with shoppers walking under the Christmas lights
Jessica Hallam singing in Dukes Lane after dark. Photo: supplied by Brilliant Brighton

What it means for you

  • The lights: on from the afternoon of Thursday 19 November until early January. No ceremony, so there is no need to be there at a set time.
  • The Festive Afternoon: Saturday 5 December, 2pm to 6pm, across North Laine, The Lanes, East Street and Western Road. Acts appear in different spots, so wander rather than wait in one place.
  • The window trail: 5 December to 3 January. Vote for your favourite window for a chance at the £100 gift card.
  • More this Christmas: the Valley Gardens Christmas market opens on 26 November, and our Christmas in Brighton page has the rest of the season.
A busy Brighton shopping street at dusk with strings of Christmas lights crossing overhead
Shoppers under Christmas lights in Brighton city centre. Photo: supplied by Brilliant Brighton

Our thanks to Brilliant Brighton for the details and photographs.

Sources